5 things to watch for Nebraska football against Purdue

For the second week in a row, the Nebraska football team faces a test unlike any it has faced this season. For starters, the Huskers are hitting the road for the first time and also have to rebound from a loss.

Illinois beat Nebraska in overtime last week and for the first time in the 2024 season, Nebraska football is facing some adversity. Illinois came up with the key plays in the second half and owned overtime.

But it’s just one game, assuming the Huskers can bounce back on the road. Purdue is 1-2 and was drubbed by Oregon State last weekend 31-13. Even on the road, Nebraska is a 10-point favorite, yet, road wins don’t come easy in the Big Ten, and here are five things to watch for Nebraska vs. Purdue.

The easiest road test of the season

Winning on the road in the Big Ten isn’t easy. Nebraska won one road game last season in the Big Ten. Saturday’s game against Purdue is the first of five road games. The Huskers also play at Indiana, Ohio State, USC, and Iowa.

Every road win will be important and frankly, this is going to be the easiest one. Indiana looks scary — even though they haven’t beaten anyone outside of UCLA, which barely has a pulse. The other three teams are solidly in the top 25, so this is a game Nebraska football can’t afford to lose.

The Huskers need three more wins for bowl eligibility and as a 10-point favorite on the road, Purdue is a game Nebraska must win. A loss on Saturday doesn’t mean Nebraska can’t win another game on the road — anything can happen. But it wouldn’t be a good sign and it would show that the margin for error in terms of just making a bowl game is still razor-thin.

How will Dylan Raiola handle the road?

There were times against Illinois when Dylan Raiola finally started to look like a freshman. He held onto the ball too long and had poor pocket awareness at times.

Yet, even last Friday, those moments were the exception, not the form. The former five-star threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns. He did have one interception, but if Isaiah Neyor is stronger with the ball, Raiola throws four touchdowns and Nebraska football probably wins the game.

It is a game of inches after all. But back to Saturday. Raiola will be outside of Lincoln Memorial Stadium for the first time. He’ll have to deal with crowd noise and while I’m not overly concerned, younger players tend to perform better at home so it’s something to watch.

Nebraska needs to run more than throw

It’s easy to focus the offense on Raiola. He’s got all the talent in the world but at times, it feels like Nebraska is asking him to do too much.

The Huskers got away from the run game against Illinois, in part, because it wasn’t super effective. It wasn’t stonewalled either though and if Nebraska had been more patient, it probably would have paid off.

Purdue is by far the worst run defense Nebraska faced this season. The Boilermakers are surrendering 269 yards per game and 5.6 yards per attempt. That’s atrocious and it’s something Nebraska has to take advantage of.

I’m all for Dylan Raiola throwing the ball. But, if the game is going as expected as in the Huskers have the lead, they should have more rushing attempts than passing attempts. That’s the ideal formula, not Raiola throwing 40 times.

Blackshirts have to stop the run

The defensive line didn’t play well against Illinois. The Huskers did a poor job of setting the EDGE and the depth just wasn’t there beyond the first few guys.

The thing is, Nebraska football can’t play Nash Hutmacher and Ty Robinson more than they already are. They played a combined 115 snaps against Illinois, so it’s no wonder they got worn down.

Purdue will test that front again. Nebraska didn’t tackle well for the second straight game and if I was Purdue, I would pound the rock at the Huskers until they prove they can stop it.

Northern Iowa and Illinois each ran for over 100 yards and if Purdue can do the same, it bodes well for their chances of getting a home win.

Can Nebraska football be adequate on special teams?

You want to avoid negative plays on special teams and last week, Nebraska had two. There was the missed field goal which could have helped the Huskers win the game in overtime. There was also a 41-yard punt return, which happened in part because Brian Buschini punted to the wrong side of the field.

At some point, Nebraska needs to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time on special teams. It just hasn’t happened. The coverage was better last year but the return game was essentially non-existent. The kicking was terrible too.

Fast forward a season and the same problems still linger. It’s frustrating and hopefully, it won’t cost Nebraska another game like it did last Friday night.

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